The thing almost nobody in psych told me, and that everyone who has ADHD did, is that ADHD does not mean “cannot focus”: it means “cannot regulate focus.”
I have never understood this till you posted it. This whole thread is resonating (and freaking me out).
adhd is a regulatory deficit: deficit regulating time, emotions, goals, tasks.... attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a wrong term. should be renamed as a regulatory deficit. i am a counselor and my own dx has helped me w my clients who are also neurospicy
Hyperfocused ADHD person here. It can be a superpower for work, and it can be cancerous in a relationship if the focus is not on your SO.
This includes intensely focusing to a degree that you cannot turn down, to the point of excess. That is a sign, and once you stop saying “no, I have no trouble focusing, in fact, I have the opposite problem” to diagnostic tests the diagnosis is more explainable.
When it comes to people without it, it means "Cannot focus on what I think you should be focusing on," which makes the distinction, at least in their brains, no distinction.
Sigh. Yes, and when I teach this, it always comes as a surprise to students.
yes that is a very important distinction
racecar brain with bicycle brakes
I really wish we'd give it a name that actually describes it from the perspective of those of us who HAVE it instead of the perspective of caregivers and teachers observing it in 10yo white boys